Texas HS top rated as any others, seems some just want to negate this! (Austin: private school tuition, college)

[carolinajack]

Best High Schools: Top Achievement High Schools - US News and World Report

US News and World Report Top Rated schools 2009

Texas made it as much as NY or Mass, but hmm Texas gets attacked for having bad ones while back east gets the clout--mmmm can we say "Elitest"??!!

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by carolinajack

Best High Schools: Top Achievement High Schools - US News and World Report

US News and World Report Top Rated schools 2009

Texas made it as much as NY or Mass, but hmm Texas gets attacked for having bad ones while back east gets the clout--mmmm can we say "Elitest"??!!

Umm . . . this post does not strike me as fair. Texas has chosen not to invest in public education for decades and decades. States like NJ, MA, IL, and MN chose a different path. And for the most part, it shows.

One ranking does not invalidate the points made in the previous post.
//www.city-data.com/forum/austi...rspective.html
You went to an excellent public high in Texas decades ago, I do not think that anyone says that an excellent education is not possible in Texas (Westlake and Westwood High come to mind) but even there, classes can be large, teaching to the test causes problems, and the curriculum offered to the average student is often below the the quality of the curriculum offered to the average student in northern schools. There are reams of data about this. The previous poster seems to have a good grasp of the research as well as direct experience in both east coast schools and suburban Central Texas. I see nothing elitist about it.

[carolinajack]

what is not fair? the education the kids are getting or the investment in money? I think its important to invest in public education if you desire your kids to go there or you support the public school ideologically, but fair? im not sure i get ya there.

I wont use the public school as i will send my kid to private school, but i will have to pay in taxes for it, thats not fair but we have to do it, so im not sure the word fair is accurate.


i too have experience in both, as a student and as an educator--having an MA in Secondary Ed and taught in NY public schools, started an alternative public school in upstate NY, worked as Education Lobbyist in NY secondary and higher ed, wife, mother, aunts and sisters teaching in NY, NJ, Tx, SC, Pa public schools.

seems you didnt read that i was an educator, just that she did. i am not against her experience though and i respect her response.

[blakely]

Agreeing with CentralAustinite here. The US News & World Report data does not measure some of the intangibles that the other poster addressed.

The US News ranking starts by looking at whether the schools perform better than other schools in their state (thereby comparing Texas schools to Texas schools) as a first measure. Those that perform well and also serve their special ed population well are then measured nationally on an AP/IB test taking & passing criteria. So essentially the poll ranks schools in which a high population of students take and pass AP or IB tests. An interesting measure, but a limited one.

Some of the issues addressed by the poster in the other thread (the deficiency in good analytical writing skills, teaching to the test, large class sizes and lack of freedom in curriculum) are very real issues that parents should consider before enrolling their kids in ANY school. I do think some public schools tackle these better than others, but there are many schools where kids' education is compromised as a result, AP tests or not.

Poll rankings are only a starting data point for me. We cannot conclude "our school is as good as theirs" just because of a polll ranking. There is so much more to be considered.

[carolinajack]

But are they addressed in those other schools or is that ones perspective or hearsay, and not really the truth? not saying she is not telling the truth, but one can say that about any ranking in any state regardless of funding.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by carolinajack

what is not fair? the education the kids are getting or the investment in money? I think its important to invest in public education if you desire your kids to go there or you support the public school ideologically, but fair? im not sure i get ya there.

I wont use the public school as i will send my kid to private school, but i will have to pay in taxes for it, thats not fair but we have to do it, so im not sure the word fair is accurate.


i too have experience in both, as a student and as an educator--having an MA in Secondary Ed and taught in NY public schools, started an alternative public school in upstate NY, worked as Education Lobbyist in NY secondary and higher ed, wife, mother, aunts and sisters teaching in NY, NJ, Tx, SC, Pa public schools.

seems you didnt read that i was an educator, just that she did. i am not against her experience though and i respect her response.

I thought you worked in social services with the homeless?

I do not mean to flame or attack. I am unsure what the the point of your post if not to say that Texas public schools are unfairly maligned. With the subtext that Yankee critics of Texas education are elitest.

I too pay property taxes to pay for public schools and I also pay private school tuition for the education of my children. Excellent public schools provide a state with a workforce that this desirable to employers as well as better citizens.

I am an educator as well. It seems like we have a bunch of knowledgeable, informed people here, but it appears that we are talking past each other. Sorry.

[carolinajack]

i do, work in social services with the homless. if you look i said what i did in the past, but what family members do at the present

[traceyr13]

I'm always very skeptical of those "lists", because I often disagree with the methodology employed. For this list linked, the first step was to compare how students did on the standardized achievement tests for each state. So, they were comparing how students at Texas high schools did compared to other Texas high schools.

The second step was then to see how traditionally disadvanted groups did based on that same criteria.

So, until the final step of the process, they are only coming up with the "best" (if you consider "best" to be who scores highest on TAKS) schools in Texas. Then they compared that group of schools from around the country against each other based on AP and IB scores.

I'm not surprised that "strong" Texas high schools perform well on those scores. I'm very close with our AP teachers in my department, and they absolutely drill those kids for the test. They practice for the exam all year long (just like they do in lower grades for TAKS).

However, I will put forward that the AP classes in my previous high schools also did very well on the scores, but they didn't actually "train" specifically for the test until the last month before the test. They spent the rest of the year treating the course like a college class - lots of reading, lots of analytical discussion, creative assessments, etc. It wasn't a boot camp for an exam in May.

I don't think it's elitism that makes me argue the schools in New England are better - I think it's the educational practice. Just my opinion.

[carolinajack]

i dont want to talk past you and i do apologize if i came off harshly towards you.

The subtext that yankees critics are elistest is just that, however, and seen throughout these forums-subtlely and not so subtely. If people didnt come off as thinking they were better because they came from California or teh Northeast(and i have nothing against either one and happen to love both) we wouldnt have this issue to talk about. As an african american, i experience people subtlely and not so subtlely act differently around us because of our race and what stereotypes they have of us-wheter we are educated or not--to mentiont hat it happens i just states that racism is active, doesnt mean everyone is practicing it.

[carolinajack]

Also, there is no mention of the horrendous drop out rates of students in Northeastern schools of Boston, Albany, NYC, Philadelphia, DC and even Chicago--and the funding per child is higher than some southern cities with less spent per child. DC is an excellent case.

Its elistest snobbery to always think they are better but not to point out the issues that are not being faced. Philadelphia has graduated less than 50% each year for quite awhile, but it doesnt get the same sort of coverage as GW Bush's state--hmm i wonder--esp when the city loves to promote public schools over other alternatives.